In this discussion, sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, known for his book "We Have Never Been Woke," explores the pitfalls of the woke movement and the complexities of social justice. He argues that the desire for fairness often comes without individual sacrifice, revealing the flawed narratives surrounding wealth redistribution. The conversation also critiques elite hypocrisy, touches on historical roots of wokeness, and examines the disconnect between societal elites and the average citizen, highlighting the challenges of genuine social progress.
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insights INSIGHT
The Contradiction of the New Elite
Symbolic capitalists, dominant in fields like media and academia, often espouse altruism.
However, their increasing influence has coincided with worsening societal issues, not improvement.
insights INSIGHT
The Illusion of Wokeness
Wokeness, according to al-Gharbi, obscures the realities of social problems and benefits.
Symbolic capitalists' dual desires to be elite and egalitarian clash, with elitism often prevailing.
insights INSIGHT
Wealth Redistribution Challenges
Taxing the wealthy alone won't solve societal problems, as wealth is distributed more broadly.
Redistributing wealth is difficult; symbolic capitalists often control the institutions handling funds, taking a cut.
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an historical sociology of education and stratification.
Mitchell L. Stevens
Tressie McMillan Cottom
Randall Collins
In 'The Credential Society,' Randall Collins argues that the expansion of American education has not increased social mobility but rather created a cycle of credential inflation. Collins examines how credentialing closes high-status professions to new arrivals and how public schools are socializing institutions that teach and reward middle-class values. The book discusses the consequences of credential inflation, including grade inflation, rising educational costs, and misleading job promises. Collins also addresses recent developments and alternative pathways for the future of education in a new preface to the 2019 edition.
The Road to Wigan Pier
George Orwell
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is a detailed and evocative account of the poverty and living conditions of the working class in northern England, particularly in mining towns like Wigan. Orwell describes the harsh realities of miners' lives, the poor housing conditions, and the economic struggles faced by these communities. The second part of the book is a more political treatise where Orwell discusses the failures of socialism and his own socialist solutions to the problems he observed. He critiques the middle class and the intellectual left, while advocating for a more practical and compassionate form of socialism[2][4][5].
We Have Never Been Woke
The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite
Musa al-Gharbi
In this book, Musa al-Gharbi argues that despite the rise of a new elite who identify as allies of progressive causes such as antiracism, feminism, and LGBTQ rights, social and economic inequalities have continued to grow. These symbolic capitalists, who work primarily with words, ideas, images, and data, genuinely believe in egalitarian principles but inadvertently contribute to and perpetuate the very inequalities they oppose. The book examines how their actions and narratives often provoke backlash against the social justice causes they champion and argues that challenging these self-serving narratives is crucial for addressing social and economic inequality effectively.
It’s high time to start the postmortem of the latest Great Awokening. Jonah is joined by sociologist and author Musa al-Gharbi to discuss his new book, We Have Never Been Woke. Musa makes the casethat many of the maladies of the woke movement stem from a desire to achieve social justice without individual sacrifice and that wealth redistribution is much more complicated than the Macbook Marxists have been led to believe. Jonah and Musa discuss the capitalist soul of a seemingly altruistic elite, the concept of asymmetric multiculturalism, trustafarians, and the formula behind major social progress movements.
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including Jonah’s G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.
The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg 
